Water Conservation Field Services Program

decades and are still using practices and procedures that represent state-of-the-art technology at the time the project was constructed. Much can be done to advance these projects to 2000's technology with the accompanying increase in water use efficiency. Likewise, per capita urban water use in various locations within the Upper Colorado Region is among the highest in the nation. Reclamation has financial assistance available in the form of grants and cooperative agreements for water conservation activities. Applications are now being accepted from those entities wishing to receive financial assistance from the Water Conservation Field Services Program for fiscal year 2014. Information regarding Water Conservation Field Services may be viewed at: http://www.usbr.gov/uc/progact/waterconsv/index.html Synopsis Federal Agency Name: Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, Upper Colorado Region, Salt Lake City, Utah Funding Opportunity Title: Water Conservation Field Services Program (WCFSP) Announcement Type: Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) Funding Opportunity BOR-UC-16-F001 : Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 15.530 Water Conservation Field Services Program Dates: (See FOA Sec. IV.B) Application due date: January 11, 2016, 3:00 p.m. Mountain Standard Time Eligible Applicants: (See FOA Sec. I.B & III.A) Eligible applicants include any State, Indian tribe, irrigation district, water district, or other organization with water or power delivery authority located in the Upper Colorado Region. Regardless of the applicant, all projects must meet the criteria listed on page 8, under the heading “B. Eligible Projects.” Recipient Cost Share: (See FOA Sec. III.B) 50 percent or more of total activity costs must be met with non-federal funds Federal Funding Amount: (See FOA Sec. II) Up to $75,000 per Implementation award and no more than $25,000 for Demonstration, and Planning Estimated Number of Agreements to be Awarded: (See FOA Sec. II) From 5 up to12 and subject to availability of funds Total Amount of Funding Available for Award: (See FOA Sec. II) Approximately $213,000. The amount of funding available will be determined once final Fiscal Year 2016 appropriations are approved. Any awards are subject to a determination by Reclamation that FY 2016 appropriations are available and that awards can be made consistent with all program requirements. If additional funds become available additional awards may be made. Application Checklist The following table contains a summary of the information that you are required to submit with your application for financial assistance by 3 pm MST, January 11, 2016. All standard forms are contained in the full announcement on grants.gov. √ What to submit Page Standard Form (SF)- 424 application cover page (Available in application packet on grants.gov) 13 C.1 Assurances (Available in application packet on grants.gov) • Form SF424B OR • Form SF424D, as applicable 14 C.2 Title page • Names, addresses, phone numbers, email address • Funding Category 14 C.3 Technical Application • Scope of work • Narrative / Executive Summary • Program and Anticipated Water Management Benefits • Activity Schedule showing planned timeline of project 14 C.4 Element A Supplemental Questions Answer Sheet pertinent to your type of project (Implementation, Planning, etc.) 14 C.4 Element B Project budget proposal: • General requirements • Budget Proposal • Budget narrative • Budget forms SF-424A or SF-424C as applicable 14 C.4 Element C Funding Plan/Cost Share Information 20 C.4 Element D Official Resolution or Statement of Intent. Can be provided once the Board has met. 21 C.4   Acronyms and Abbreviations AOR Authorized Organization Representatives ARC Application Review Committee CCR Central Contractor Registration CFDA Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance CE Categorical Exclusion CEC Categorical Exclusion Checklist CPA Certified Public Accountant DUNS Data Universal Number System E-Biz POC E-Business Point of Contact EIN Employer Identification Number ESA Endangered Species Act FAQ Frequently Asked Question FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency FOA Funding Opportunity Announcement FY Fiscal Year GO Grants Officer GOTR Grants Officer Technical Representative IRS Internal Revenue Service MST Mountain Standard Time NEPA National Environmental Policy Act NHPA National Historic Preservation Act O&M Operation and Maintenance OM&R Operations, Maintenance, and Replacement OMB Office of Management and Budget SAM System for Award Management SCADA Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition SF Standard Form TIN Taxpayer Identification Number Agency Contacts - for Inquiries Concerning Application Delivery Instructions There will be no pre-application conference. Organizations or individuals interested in submitting applications in response to this announcement may direct application submittal questions by calling or emailing one of the Grants Management Specialists prior to January 11, 2016. DIRECT QUESTIONS TO REQUEST PAPER COPIES OF DOCUMENTS FROM APPLICATION DELIVERY ADDRESSES BY POSTAL SERVICE BY EXPRESS SERVICE Bureau of Reclamation Attn: Richard B. Pew Mail Code: UC-825 125 South State St., Room 8100 Salt Lake City, UT 84138 Phone: (801) 524-3740 E-mail: rpew@usbr.gov Fax: (801) 524-3856 Bureau of Reclamation Attn: Richard B. Pew Mail Code: UC-825 125 South State St., Room 8100 Salt Lake City, UT 84138 Phone: (801) 524-3740 E-mail: rpew@usbr.gov Fax: (801) 524-3856 Bureau of Reclamation Attn: Richard B. Pew Mail Code: UC-825 125 South State St., Room 8100 Salt Lake City, UT 84138-1147 Bureau of Reclamation Attn: Richard B. Pew Mail Code: UC-825 125 South State St., Room 8100 Salt Lake City, UT 84138-1147 For Technical Inquiries about Your Application Organizations or individuals may direct technical questions by calling or emailing the Grants Management Specialist. All technical questions shall be submitted by January 11, 2016. See Table below for contact information: UC Region Water Conservation DIRECT TECHNICAL QUESTIONS TO Bureau of Reclamation Attn: Richard B. Pew Mail Code: UC-825 125 South State St., Room 8100 Salt Lake City, UT 84138 Phone: (801) 524-3740 E-mail: rpew@usbr.gov Fax: (801) 524-3856 Table of Contents Reclamation has financial assistance available in the form of grants and cooperative agreements for water conservation activities. Applications are now being accepted from those entities wishing to receive financial assistance from the Water Conservation Field Services Program for fiscal year 2014. 2 2 Synopsis 3 Application Checklist 4 A. Background 9 B. Eligible Projects 9 C. Program Authority 10 Section II -- Award Information 11 A. Project Funding Limitations 12 B. Reclamation Responsibilities 12 C. Award Date 12 Section III -- Eligibility Information 12 A. Eligible Applicants 12 B. Cost Share Requirements and Guidelines 12 C. Length of Project 13 Section IV -- Application Submission Information and Instructions 13 A. Application Delivery Methods 13 B. Application Submission Date and Time 14 C. Technical Application Content 14 Table 2. Sample Budget Proposal Format 19 Section V -- Application Review Information 23 A. Review, Evaluation and Selection Process 23 B. Other Factors 26 C. Review and Selection Process 26 Section VI -- Award Administration Information 26 A. Award Notices 26 Successful applicants from this FOA will receive notification that the application proposal has been recommended for funding. This notification is not an authorization to begin performance of the work. An official Notice of Award is the authorizing financial assistance agreement signed by the Recipient and then executed by the Reclamation GO. Unsuccessful applicants will be notified that their proposal was not selected for award. 26 B. Award Document 27 C. Reporting Requirements and Distribution 27 Supplemental Questions for FOA BOR-UC-16-F001 27   Section I—Funding Opportunity Description The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has a major responsibility, in partnership with water users, States, and other interested parties, to help improve water resource management and the efficiency of water use in the western United States. With passage of the Reclamation Act of 1902, Reclamation's original challenge was to promote the settlement of the West by providing the necessary infrastructure for the irrigation of small family farms. Extensive tracts of arid and semi-arid lands have become some of the most productive agricultural area and urban centers in the world. And, in addition to irrigation, Reclamation projects provide water for homes and industries, recreation, fish and wildlife, power generation, and flood control. Now, after more than 100 years, Reclamation's primary role has evolved from one of water resource development to one of water resource management. More efficient water use is a key component of Reclamation's water resource management strategy. A. Background The Bureau of Reclamation’s Upper Colorado Region is requesting applications for the Water Conservation Field Service Program (WCFSP). Many, if not most, of the Bureau of Reclamation projects in the Upper Colorado Region have been in operation for several decades and are still using practices and procedures that represent state-of-the-art technology at the time the project was constructed. Much can be done to improve these projects with new technology to realize increase in water use efficiency. Reclamation has financial assistance available in the form of grants and cooperative agreements for water conservation activities. Applications are now being accepted from those entities wishing to receive financial assistance from the Water Conservation Field Services Program for fiscal year 2016. 1. Program Objective The program objective is to conserve water, encourage water conservation and management planning, and promote modern-day water management and conservation practices by water purveyors and users. 2. Objective of Request for Applications Reclamation is especially interested in supporting activities that promote the preparation of written water management and conservation plans; implement activities identified in written water management plans. All of these activities are intended to assist water users in minimizing waste and improving water use efficiency. For more program information see http://www.usbr.gov/waterconservation/. B. Eligible Projects Reclamation is providing financial assistance for a variety of cooperative activities, demonstration programs and pilot projects to promote and implement improved water management and conservation. To be eligible for financial assistance, a proposed activity must be within the Upper Colorado Region’s service area (see Map on last page), or activities outside the service area must be within an area authorized to be served by a project under the Upper Colorado Region’s jurisdiction. 1. Types of Projects Activities to be considered for financial assistance should address one of the following, listed in order of funding preference: (a) Water Management Planning; Help water purveyors develop written water management and conservation plans that are modeled after plans described in Achieving Efficient Water Management: A Guidebook for Preparing Agricultural Water Conservation Plans, Second Edition (Guidebook, http://www.usbr.gov/uc/progact/waterconsv/pdfs/Guidebook2000.pdf). The proposed activity should address one or more of the planning tasks discussed in the Guidebook. The proposal should describe why the applicant needs financial assistance to help prepare a written plan. It should also describe what Federal or State regulations require the preparation of a plan, what tasks will be accomplished during the activity, when and to whom the plan will be submitted, and how Federal funds will be used to prepare the plan; (b) Implementation of Efficiency Measures; Implement more efficient water management measures with special emphasis on the "fundamental" water management practices (i.e., measuring and metering , seepage/leak detection and reduction, and rebates for installing water saving equipment and fixtures as part of its written water management and conservation program (This is a “starter” program and is not intended for extensive distribution system rehabilitation or on-farm modernization). The application should indicate that the proposed activity is included in the organization’s written water conservation and management plan, when and to whom the plan was submitted, describe the proposed activity and associated water savings. It should tell why the activity is important to the organization and how the organization intends to monitor the effectiveness of the implemented activity. Since Federal funds will probably not cover full implementation of the activity, the application should explain how the organization intends to achieve full implementation of the activity. The application should also explain how Federal funds will be used to implement the activity; (c) Demonstration Projects; Increase technical understanding of unfamiliar water management and conservation principles and practices that have not been previously used locally. The proposed activity should not only “publicly” demonstrate a new or unfamiliar practice; it should contain a process for informing interested individuals and organizations about the outcome of the demonstration. The application should describe what principle or practice is to be demonstrated. The application should explain why the demonstration is necessary and what the intended outcome of the demonstration is. The application should contain a process for informing the public about the outcome of the demonstration. It should also explain how Federal funds will be used for the demonstration activity. C. Program Authority Water Conservation Field Service Program activities are eligible for financial assistance under Public Law 111-11, Section 9504(a). 1. In accordance with Section 9504(a)(3)(B) of Public Law 111-11, grants and cooperative agreements under this authority will not be awarded for an improvement to conserve irrigation water unless the applicant agrees to both of the following conditions: ● Not to use any associated water savings to increase the total irrigated acreage of the eligible applicant; and ● Not to otherwise increase the consumptive use of water in the operation of the eligible applicant, as determined pursuant to the law of the State in which the operation of the eligible applicant is located. 2. Applicants shall adhere to Federal, State, Territorial, and local laws, regulations, and codes, as applicable, and shall obtain all required approvals and permits. Applicants shall also coordinate and obtain approvals from site owners and operators. 3. If the activities funded through an agreement awarded under this FOA result in a modification to a portion of a federally owned facility that is integral to the existing operations of that facility, the Federal government shall continue to hold title to the facility and the improvements thereto. Title to improvements that are not integral to existing water delivery operations shall reside with the project sponsor. 4. The non-Federal share of the cost of operating and maintaining any infrastructure improvement funded through the award shall be 100 percent. 5. Liability IN GENERAL.—Except as provided under chapter 171 of title 28, United States Code (commonly known as the ‘‘Federal Tort Claims Act’’), the United States shall not be liable for monetary damages of any kind for any injury arising out of an act, omission, or occurrence that arises in relation to any facility created or improved under the award, the title of which is not held by the United States. TORT CLAIMS ACT.—Nothing in this section increases the liability of the United States beyond that provided in chapter 171 of title 28, United States Code (commonly known as the ‘‘Federal Tort Claims Act’’). Section II -- Award Information Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Requirement Applicants must provide a D&B DUNS number on their application. If you do not have a DUNS number, one may be obtained at no cost by calling the dedicated toll-free DUNS Number Request Line at 1-866-705-5711, or by going to the DUNS Government Contractor and Grantee website at: http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform. Total Project Funding: The total amount of funding for all grants or cooperative agreements awarded as a result of this request for applications is approximately $213,000.00, contingent upon appropriations. Additional funds might become available during the fiscal year, at which time ranked applications that did not make the initial cut may be funded according to ranking, based upon Program priority. Any awards are subject to a determination by Reclamation that FY 2016 appropriations are available and that awards can be made consistent with all program requirements. A. Project Funding Limitations To facilit